Mercer-Williams House
Mercer Williams House in Savannah
Located on the south-west corner of Monterey Square in Savannah is the Mercer Williams House Museum. Originally designed by architect John S. Norris, and previously known as the Mercer House, it was commissioned by General Hugh W. Mercer in the year 1860. Presently, the Mercer House is used as a museum, and is a top attraction for tourists visiting the city.
The design of the Mercer House and its adjacent carriage house boasts a mix of Greek and Italian styles, with an added touch of Renaissance Revival elements. The footprint of the main home is large, totalling approximately 7,000 square feet with three levels, including the basement. The interior of the house has high ceilings, large windows, and a symmetrical interior shape.
With its large windows, and Philadelphia Red brick facade, the Mercer House was a prominent architectural marvel upon its completion, and remains a sight to be seen to this day. The facade of the main house is adorned with French windows, further enhanced by the cast iron moldings surrounding the tops of each one. Overall, the house showcases eighth balconies spread throughout the house, a total of forty windows, and the carriage house lining the back line of the property.
In addition to the house’s architectural significance, the history of the Mercer House is equally captivating.
Construction of the Mercer House began in the year 1860, and experienced challenges in the process. With the American Civil War beginning shortly after construction began, and extending through 1865, the house was not completed as scheduled. During this pause in construction, General Mercer was forced to sell the incomplete property, and neither he nor his family ever lived in the house. General Mercer sold the house to John R. Wilder, and after the American Civil War ended, construction resumed on the property. With a revitalized focus on its construction, the house was finally completed by 1868.
The century following its completion was filled with several prominent owners and residents, and at times also sat empty. That was until 1969 when
Jim Williams, a private restorationist, bought the house. Williams was a well renowned historic preservationist located in Savannah, and was involved in preservation efforts in several historic buildings in the city. Upon moving into the house, Williams spent the subsequent two years restoring the property. He lived in the house, and ran his antique restoration business from the carriage house, until his death in 1990.
View of Mercer-Williams House
While it may seem like the effects of the war would be the worst thing to happen to the Mercer-Williams House, that was far from the end of the trials and turbulence related to this historic home. The Mercer-Williams House has had a troublesome history, having borne witness to multiple deaths and murders within its walls.
Shortly before Williams bought the house in 1969, Tommy Downs, an 11-year old child, fell from the house’s tall roof, and died on impact upon being impaled by the house’s iron fence on the southern side of the property. At this time, the house was sitting vacant, and the children trespassed as they chased pigeons. Though no such evidence exists, there’s an abundance of speculation that his death was not an accident, but rather an act of violence resulting in his death.
Most notably, however, is the story of Williams himself being a perpetrator in yet another death in the Mercer House. In 1981, Williams admitted to shooting his assistant and lover, Danny Lewis Hansford inside the home in an act of self defense. Hansford died from this gunshot wound in the study on the main floor, and while WIlliams was eventually indicted in this murder, the years following the event required Williams to attend multiple trials to clear his name. The verdict on his first trial attempted to incarcerate him for life, but, in 1989, he was found innocent during his fourth and final trial.
The Willams-Hansford case went on to spark a best-selling book, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, written by John Berendt in 1994. Berendt’s book details Williams’ version of the events that day, and was produced shortly after Williams’ first trial. Given the popularity of the book, it was adapted into a movie thereafter, which in turn significantly impacted Savannah’s tourism. The site of the Mercer-Williams House became, and still is, one of the greatest attractions in the city due to its complicated history.
Just months after the final innocent verdict, Williams passed away in his home, coincidentally in the very room where Dany Lewis Hansford died years earlier. Williams died of complications caused by pneumonia, and since his death, the house has been owned and operated by his sister, Dorothy Kingery, who strives to preserve her brother’s restoration legacy.
Dorothy Kingery and her daughter, Susan, lived in the Mercer House for over a decade after Williams’ death. Dorothy had a goal to transform the house into a key attraction in Savannah, and with the help of her daughter, this mother-daughter duo did just that. Dorothy and Susan went on to manage the museum operations, taking care of any needed repairs, eventually deciding to undergo another restoration effort in late 2019 that carried into the first several months of 2020.
Visitors today can enjoy the Mercer-Williams House Museum, with frequent tours of the home being provided. Local tour guides offer tours of the exterior of the home, detailing the architectural and historic elements that the house has to show. Inside of the museum, 40-minute walking tours are offered through the first level of the house, and the museum shop located at the carriage house.
If architecture, history, and murder mysteries peak your interests, then visiting the Mercer-Williams House Museum is the place to be. There is no shortage of ghost tales, and stories of hauntings in the city, with the Mercer House as a hotspot of activity due to its history. Located just a few steps from several other top Savannah attractions, and two blocks from the historic Forsyth Park, you can’t miss it.
